Undertaker
Undertaker (アンダーテイカー Andāteikā) is a nobleman and a funeral director who works with the underworld of Britain and frequently acts as an informant to Ciel Phantomhive. In the anime, he is also a retired, legendary Shinigami officer. Appearance Undertaker has long, grey hair with a few braids throughout, which is worn so as to hide his eyes. His eyes are apparently quite nice, as before Grell Sutcliff sees them, he calls Undertaker "dull," but after looking into them, he asks Undertaker to hug him. He has a noticeable scar across his face, neck, and left pinky finger, although how he acquired them is unknown, and has long, black fingernails. He wears all black, including an incredibly long, black top hat, and he wears a long, grey scarf across his chest, with it knotted by his hips. In the anime, he is a Shinigami, but as no indication of this has been given in the manga, it is not considered canon, and he is assumed to be human. Personality Undertaker seems to take joy in frightening others, as he seems to act creepy intentionally to provoke a reaction. He seems to enjoy both his job as a funeral director and as an informant to the Phantomhive family, as he has worked with them since before Vincent Phantomhive's time.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 32, page 6 He has great connections with the underworld, as victims of murder from the underworld often show up at his place of business. It is these connections that allow him to be a useful informant to the Phantomhives. However, he does not exchange his services for "the queen's money," as he seems to dislike of Queen Victoria.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 6, page 18''Kuroshitsuji'' manga, Chapter 13, page 19 Instead, those who want information from him are expected to amuse him in some way. He frequently refers to the deceased as his "guests." It is his hobby to remove organs from his "guests" for research.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 6, page 23 When living people come to visit him, he frequently asks if they came to see what it feels like to sleep in a coffin.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 6, page 15 He is also often seen snacking on bone-shaped cookies.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 6, page 16 History thumb|left|190px|Undertaker as a Shinigami. In the anime, he is a retired, famous Shinigami, who was ranked management level and has judged souls as famous as Marie Antoinette and Robin Hood. William Spears says that even crying children would have offered their souls to him. He is highly respected by William, but he does not return the feelings, calling William "annoying and noisy."Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 23 As a Shinigami, he wore square, silver-framed glasses, and a black suit including a black trenchcoat. His death scythe looks similar to the stereotypical Grim Reaper's scythe, is silver, with a skull connecting the blade to the handle, which is wrapped in silver wires, like the bottom of the handle. As a Shinigami, he did not have the scars across his neck and face, but still had his ear piercings. Presently, due to his status as a legendary Shinigami, he is still allowed in the Shinigami library, but he frequently forgets to return magic plays he borrows. Manga's Synopsis Jack the Ripper When Ciel, Sebastian Michaelis, Lau, Grell Sutcliff, and Angelina Durless decide they want to see a crime scene of one of Jack the Ripper's killings, they go to the Undertaker to find out not only where they can find it, but if there is any additional information. Sebastian is able to get Undertaker to relay the information, although it is unknown precisely how he does this. Undertaker reveals that Jack the Ripper's victims are missing their organs, and beyond that, the organs are removed with such precision that only a medical professional could have committed the crimes. Using this information, Sebastian and Ciel are able to later catch the murderer in the act. Later, Undertaker is seen watching Angelina's funeral from a distance and he approaches Ciel afterward. He calls Ciel kind for giving the last victim of the murders a grave, and questions if he regrets not making saving her life a priority. He then tells him that he hopes the "collar" he wears for Queen Victoria some day chokes him. As he leaves, he tells Ciel and Sebastian they can stop by to see him any time. Noah's Ark Circus Ciel and Sebastian next approach Undertaker in connection with the Noah's Ark circus kidnappings, in order to find out if any of children have shown up dead. This time, he insults Ciel, who decides to offer the payment of a laugh himself. Afterward, he reveals that there are not any children's corpses, which angers Ciel. However, Undertaker points out that it is important that he knows he does not know anything, as it is indicative that the children might still be alive. As he leaves, Undertaker tells Ciel to keep his soul safe. Several days later, he is seen watching the burning of Baron Kelvin's manor while playing with charms. He chuckles to himself that he warned Ciel to hold every soul dear, and that Ciel will understand once it is too late. Anime's Synopsis Relevant differences between the manga and anime will be covered here. It should be noted that the Noah's Ark Circus storyline is manga exclusive. Shard of Hope He arrives at the Ice Top Market, part of the Frost Fair, due to the high number of fatalities from frostbite. Thinking he might have additional information on the thief of the ring who died nearby, Fred Aberline approaches him, closely followed by Ciel, Sebastian and Lau. Ciel initially expects that Sebastian will have to provide the usual fee, but much to their surprise, Undertaker finds Aberline's natural personality to be so amusing that he does not request additional payment. Upon being asked, he leads them to an ice sculpture where the Shard of Hope has been incorporated, and then takes his leave. Book of Doomsday thumb|190px|right|Undertaker helps Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell enter the convent. Initially, he finds Grell's "corpse" in a recent shipment of the dead, and insults his drabness, prompting Grell to attack him. Shortly thereafter, he is approached by Ciel and Sebastian, who learned from Ash that the cult had received a large shipment of coffins, and they expected that Undertaker may know something. He initially tries to get his normal payment, but upon receiving a glare from Grell, he agrees to help them for free. He does this by aiding Ciel, Grell, and Sebastian in entering the convent by delivering a coffin where they were hiding in. Later, he is seen in the Shinigami library and aids in stopping Angela's rampage, upon Ciel's request. He uses a Death Bookmark to stop the story Angela's writing and adds Sebastian, Grell, and William into a fight with her. However, due to the limitations of the pen and bookmark, he cannot do much more than that. Conspiracy and Revenge When Ciel heads toward a burning London in a boat, he finds him among the ship's cargo. He shares his bone-shaped biscuits and provides limited information on the current goings-on. When prompted, he tells Ciel that he is on the soul collection lists and he is about to die. However, before Ciel can get more information, he is briefly distracted and Undertaker leaves mysteriously. Later, during Sebastian's fight with Ash and Angela, he helps reap the souls that are attacking Sebastian. Quotes *"Show me a "first rate laugh"." *(To Ciel) "Welcome, Earl. Do you want to see how it feels to sleep in my custom-made coffin?" *"I don't want any of the queen's money!" *(Referring to Jack the Ripper) "The world of darkness has the world of darkness's rules. He wouldn't murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 6, page 26 *"Today is a particular woman's special gala. The final great ceremony in each human's life. A funeral."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 13, pages 3-4 *"Victoria, aye? I'm not a fan. She sits herself up so high above everyone else, and leaves the painful dirty work to the earl."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 13, page 19 *"I wonder, if the butler isn't here, is the earl just a child who can't do anything?"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 24, page 11 *"Even though I told him to hold each and every soul dear. Because you hold great power, you gradually fail to understand the importance of things that cannot be recovered. You will realize once it's too late. How many times have I given you and the others the same warning?"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, pages 35-36 *(To Ciel) You don't need to tell me, I know why you came, with just one look I can tell what's on your mind. Trivia *He and Azzurro Vanel are the only two who have voiced a dislike for Queen Victoria's portrayal in the manga. *It is unclear if Undertaker has a real name. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Nobles Category:Shinigami